Only in Vegas
by Rydia Sorcha
Summary: Greg gets the new girl, but the road of love is never easy...Greg/OC, slight CSI:NY crossover aka a love triangle . Starts in Season 7 and is continuing through
1. New CSI

**Ok, so this story has been up for awhile, but it's being re-written, chapter by chapter. The basic plot won't really change, but it will be expanded with much more detail, I have new ideas that fit right in. Please review!**

The entire night shift was in a meeting, wrapping up old cases and waiting for a new case. Greg was sipping coffee and flicking empty sugar packets at Sarah, while Catherine was updating Nick on how Lindsay was doing. Warrick looked annoyed and was playing with his phone. Grissom walked in the room, setting down a stack of papers and watching his team. Finally clearing his throat, everyone looked up at him and quieted down, Greg tossing one last sugar packet at Sarah and then giving Grissom a "who, me?" look as Grissom raised on eyebrow at him.

"Listen up guys, we have a new CSI joining us. It's been a few weeks of searching, but I think we found someone that will fit in well. Name is Samantha Carter, transferring in from Boston; she was with the crime lab there working in digital forensics, but she just passed her test to become a level one…apparently got sitting in a lab and wanted to be out in the field. She starts tomorrow officially, she'll be in later tonight to fill out paper work. If possible, stop by and introduce yourselves. She'll be assisting on cases right away, but she isn't allowed to collect evidence unsupervised, until I've been able to fully assess her abilities in action."

The night shift seemed a bit surprised and a bit uneasy about the new blood coming in. They had been prepared for it, but it was still strange having a new girl thrust into the chemistry. However, there was not much time to think as Grissom picked up the papers from earlier and tossed them in the middle of the table.

"Triple homicide at the Tangiers. Get moving."

Grissom was sitting in his office when a young woman walked in.

"Gil Grissom?" she asked.

"Yes, you must be Samantha. Come on in, take a seat."

"Please, call me Sam". The woman was about 5'7, pale skin with a hint of freckles left over from childhood on her face. Blue eyes and shoulder length reddish brown hair completed the image. She was dressed casually, black pants and a button down. She appeared confident, but her voice shook just enough to let on to Grissom that she was nervous.

"Welcome to Vegas. We look forward to having you work here. You come highly recommended. They loved you in Boston. Why come here?"

Sam leaned forward, forearms on her thighs, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Boston's a great city…but very boring. Things happen in Vegas that don't happen anywhere else. It's a very weird city. But I love weird. If I am going to be in this field, I want to deal with the creepiest, weirdest, most out there stuff there is to offer."

"You will certainly fit in great…" Grissom laughed as he handed Samantha the paperwork.


	2. Officially Accepted

**These first few chapters won't change much, but once the relationship starts, it will!**

Nick and Catherine were outside the Tangiers when Grissom arrived with Sam. Nick saw her and whistled, not realizing that she was close enough to hear. His actions warranted a elbow jab from Catherine, a _look _from Grissom, and a laugh from Sam.

"Does that mean I'm already accepted?" she asked with a grin. Catherine laughed as well as Nick turned a bit red. Catherine extended her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, welcome to Vegas. I'm Catherine."

"And I'm Nick Stokes."

"Good to meet you guys." Sam looked around, surveying the scene. "So what happened here?"

Grissom could see that under her friendly demeanor was a serious worker. Boston had not wanted her to go; she had interned there in college before becoming a full time employee. The only thing he knew about her personally was that she was a private person; no one in Boston knew much about her life prior to college.

Nick was filling her in on the case as he brought her into the hotel. Sam was listening intently, clearly very interested. She enjoyed what she did and was excited about being in a new city. Grissom was right, she was a focused worker. She started asking questions right away, wanting to know everything she could about the case.

Nick brought Sam over to the first body. Sarah and Greg were bending over the body. Greg was snapping photos while Sarah collected trace. They stood up when Sam approached, Sarah being the first to extend a hand. Greg followed soon after, being surprisingly quiet for him.

"How long have you been in Las Vegas?" Sarah asked.

"About 8 hours…they put me straight to work," she replied with a smile. "I signed a lease on an apartment, and then came straight here. My entire life is in my backseat right now," she said with a laugh.

Warrick came over as well to introduce himself, winking at Nick behind her back as she turned back to the body. Grissom came into the building, breaking up the team and sending Sam over to the second body with Warrick to collect trace.

XXXXXX

Once back in the lab, Sam was sent to the autopsies with Sarah. While waiting for Doc Robbins, they looked over the body.

"No matter how many autopsies I watch, it's still a little weird when you first walk in," Sarah winced as she looked at the beaten, sliced up body.

"I guess you have to be previously damaged to be able to handle this stuff day after day…you can't handle it all until you've seen it all…" Sam replied.

Sarah couldn't help but smile. She couldn't deny she was damaged, and while curious about Sam, she could respect her privacy, understanding they were both private people.

Suddenly Doc Robbins walked in, followed closely by Nick. Nick smiled at Sam as he took his place by the body. Doc Robbins began to explain what he had found, yet Nick found himself watching the new girl. She seemed like a sweet girl, but very into her work, and he couldn't help admire that. He wondered if he would freak her out if he asked her out for breakfast to celebrate her first shift.

After the autopsy Sam's first shift was over. She headed to her locker, finding Greg in the room as well. She said hello as she changed into flip flops. "Nice pictures," she commented on Greg's locker. Greg laughed.

"You a Manson fan?"

"Depends on my mood…I tend to be quite eclectic."

Greg smiled. "Back when I was in the lab, I used to blast Manson all the time…Grissom hated it."

Sam put on a face of mock surprise. "No, _him_? I never would have guessed!" Greg laughed.

"See you tomorrow." Sam walked out passing Nick coming in. Greg was still watching the door as Nick snapped his fingers in Greg's face to get his attention.

"Keep your pants on Sanders, that girl is way to cool for you." Nick flashed Greg a big grin, and turned to leave. "Later, Greggo!"


	3. Old Scars

The next shift, Sam was in the evidence room with Greg analyzing one of the three victims clothing. They worked almost silently collecting hairs and fluid samples to send to trace. Once finished, they headed to the break room for a drink, making basic small talk about the case. Greg put a pot of coffee on while Sam leaned against the counter to reach two coffee cups.

"Oh shit" she exclaimed, pulling back. A stain was spreading up her shirt; someone had spilled coffee on the counter and hadn't bothered to wipe it up. When she leaned across the counter her shirt had soaked up the liquid.

"Hold on, I have an extra shirt in my locker." Greg headed to the locker room to grab it while Sam took off first the t-shirt, then the long sleeve underneath. Greg walked in to find Sam in a tank top. He handed her the shirt and tried not to stare. However, he couldn't help notice marks on her arms. They looked like track marks; old track marks, but track marks nonetheless. Sam caught Greg looking and immediately turned away, pulling the shirt over quickly. She started to walk out.

"Sam, wait, I'm not judging, I'm just curious."

She turned back around. "Let's just say my past isn't perfect." Greg continued to look at her, but his expression wasn't mean or uncaring. With a sigh, Sam realized she might as well just tell him. "When I was 15, I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. I had been sick of being the goody-two shoes straight-A student and decided to 'change my image'. I made some new friends and started experimenting. By 16, I was a mess and my parents sent me to one of those Outward Bound programs. I spent 4 months in the woods. You think 4 straight months of hiking and climbing is hard? Try doing it while detoxing."

Greg walked over to the pot and poured two cups. He handed one to Sam, sitting down and giving her an encouraging smile. "So how did you end up working in forensics?"

"Well," Sam answered, taking a sip of coffee, "while with Outward Bound, we came across a decomposing body in the woods. Authorities were called, and it turned out to be a body dump from a drug deal. I was fascinated by it. It also snapped me straight, seeing how I could end up if I continued with the same friends and after school activities. Once I finished the program, my parents sent me to a private school. I finished up and got accepted to college. I started out in business, but I was bored, and remember that body, I transferred into the forensics major second semester. Rest is history. I have no record, and I've been clean for almost ten years. I just wish I didn't have the leftover scars."

"Eh, we all have scars. Some guys find it sexy," replied Greg, giving his trademark Sanders grin.

"Alright Sanders, what's your story?"

Greg laughed and then told her the story about the lab explosion. Even though it was a serious story, he still made her laugh with his facial expressions and hand gestures. Suddenly Nick poked his head in the break room. "Hey Sam, I'm heading back to the Tangiers to question a witness. Want to tag along?"

"Love to!" Sam got up and started following Nick out the door. "See you later Greg."

Greg just sat and moped.

XXXXXX

At the Tangiers, Nick questioned a guest while Sam observed, occasionally jumping in with a question of her own. When the questioning was done, the shift was over for the night. "Want to grab some breakfast?" Nick asked Sam, deciding to go for it.

"Sounds good to me."


	4. Bad News

**Thank you to my loyal reviewers! Much appreciated! I'm getting more into the meat of the story, although it is in no way near done! This chapter is short but I think the next one will be better! Keep reviewing, it makes me happy and when i'm happy I write more... :)**

Nick and Sam sat down to brunch at the typical diner that the CSI's usually went to after their shift. Loading up on eggs and toast, Nick and Sam got involved in in-depth conversations about favorite cases, and the strangest criminals they had encountered. Sam was very interested to hear stories from someone who had been in the field much longer then she had. Finally unable to hide their yawns anymore, the two went their separate ways to get some sleep before their next shift.

XXXXXX

That night Warrick was putting his stuff in his locker when Nick walked in whistling a tune. "Someone clearly got laid," stated Warrick, glancing at Nick.

"Not laid, just breakfast," Nick replied, smiling ear to ear. Catherine walked in on this conversation, laughing at Nick.

"Going after the new girl, huh? Be careful, I don't think you are the only one interested…"

"Yeah, like I'm really going to lose a girl to Sanders. She wants a man, not a boy." Nick shut his locker and walked off whistling.

XXXXXXX

It ended up being a busy night. Sam was left behind in the lab to continue working on the triple murder. Grissom, Catherine, Warrick and Nick were sent out to investigate a series of beatings only 5 blocks from each other. Greg joined them after getting back from his first court appearance.

Towards the end of her shift, Sam was getting bored when Grissom was called. "You're pulling another shift, Sam. We have another beating…this one involved Greg…I need to get to the hospital. Go meet Sara at the scene to help process."

Sam's gasped in shock. "Is he ok?"

"He's in bad shape but stable. He just got taken to the hospital. Get moving to the scene."

Sam hopped in her car and met Sara at the scene, in shock at all the blood in the ground. Sara had tears in her eyes as she tried to explain to Sam what had happened. Nick and Warrick arrived as well. Seeing that they were shaken up, Warrick put a friendly arm around Sara's shoulders as Nick wrapped an arm around Sam. He gave her a quick squeeze, and then kept his arm there as they updated Sam and Sara on what they knew. Finally Warrick and Nick left to go visit Greg, Nick giving Sam one last squeeze before he left.


	5. Just her type

**Here is where it is going to start to change from the previous story...please bear with me!**

Sam and Sara finished processing the scene and decided to head to the hospital to see Greg. They found Grissom, Warrick and Nick sitting outside. Since Greg was in rough shape, only one person at a time was allowed to see him at a time, and Catherine was with him currently. "Only a few minutes each guys, we need to get back to work on this case, it's the best way to help Greg." Grissom told the crew. "Greg hit someone with the car trying to break up the fight. The guy is in surgery now but I am sticking around to process him as well."

Each person went in and then left after a few minutes, heading back to the lab or the scene. Nick went in after Catherine.

"Your turn, Warrick," he said as he came out of Greg's hospital room. Nick turned to Sam. "I can wait for you."

"No, it's ok, you go on, and I'll be back at the lab in a bit." Looking a bit annoyed, Nick finally left. After Sara had her time, Sam got her chance to go in.

Greg didn't see her walk in. Sam's heart broke at the site of Greg obviously in pain. One eye was completely swollen shut, and his face was cut up and bruised. She slowly walked over to the bed. "Hey Greg…" she whispered, unsure of what to say. He turned to look at her with his one eye, trying to hide a wince.

"How are you feeling?" Sam pulled a chair over to his bed, sitting down.

"I've felt better," he said. His voice was scratchy and horse. "How's the guy I hit doing?"

Sam shook her head. "Don't worry about that now, Greg. Just focus on getting better first."

"I have a question for you then, Sam," Greg said out of nowhere. "If I had asked you out first would you have been interested in me instead of Nick?"

Sam didn't even know what to say, she was caught so off guard.

"I mean, I know I'm not so attractive right now, but I can't help but wish I hadn't been such a wuss and had asked you out first.

Sam smiled. "I'm not dating Nick. It was just breakfast, and it was only because I was hungry and trying to make friends. He's not really my type."

"Oh really?" Greg asked, trying not to hope too much.

"Really. This job is hard and draining, it grates on you day after day. If I am going to date someone, I want someone who can make me laugh. And you, Sanders, can certainly make me laugh."

Even with his swollen and bruised face, Greg still managed to look triumphant.

"Does that mean you'll let me take you out to breakfast once I'm out of here?"

Sam smiled and nodded. She heard a soft tap at the door and knew it was Grissom letting her know her time was up. She stood up slowly, not wanting to leave. "I'll be back to visit soon, I promise," she said. Greg nodded slowly. Sam started to turn around and then turned back to him slowly. "If I kiss you…will it hurt you?"

Greg smiled. "It'd be well worth the pain."

Sam leaned in slowly and kissed him gently one the side of his lips not stitched up. "Goodbye, Greg."


	6. Trial and Comfort

Greg was released from the hospital a few days later. Sam was there when he was discharged, ready to bring him to a restaurant for a dinner with all their friends. "Everyone's excited to see you," she said, helping him slowly into the passenger seat of her car. She then got into the drivers seat and buckled up.

"Hey Sam?" he asked, looking at her. She turned to him.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything the last few days. Staying with me, keeping my spirits up. I really appreciate it."

Sam smiled at Greg. "Of course," she said, slightly embarrassed at his appreciation.

Greg smiled back. "Now that my lips aren't stitched up…" he started to say, trailing off as his eyes met her. Sam laughed and leaned in, kissing him very softly. He kissed her back.

* * *

Greg was sitting in the trial for Demetrius James when Sam slipped in the back. She had finished up her work early and had asked Grissom for permission to go. He had granted it, knowing Greg could probably use the support. The judge was just introducing Demetrius James' family to the jury when Sam took a seat. When Greg turned around to look at the family he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She was watching him intently, and her heart broke when she saw the look on his face. He was clearly terrified and upset by this situation. Sam took her eyes off him and watched the judge describe the three outcomes: justifiable, excusable, or criminal.

Sophia took the stand to testify. She gave the jury the rundown on the different beatings that occurred that night from the same group. When Sophia talked about finding Greg, Sam got chills up and down her spine. The jury submitted a question: when the judge decided it wasn't relevant, a jury member stood up. When he started making comments about "running over black kids in the street", Sam's knuckles went white. It took every ounce of self control for Sam to not throw herself across the room and punch him in the face. Suddenly Sam felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she noticed that Stanley Tanner, the man Greg had saved, sliding into the seat next to her. "Cool it," he whispered. "Greg saved my life, no one is going to let him take a fall for that." Sam tried to relax. Once Sophia was done, it was Stanley's turn to take the stand.

By the time Doc Robbins as being questioned, Greg's confidence was fading. Sam wanted nothing more then to be able to hold his hand, but instead she was stuck sitting there. Nick's testimony was better, he did everything he could to help Greg, silencing the obnoxious Jury member, until Demetrius James' family spoke up. Greg was looking straight ahead but could see the tension in Greg reaching a breaking point; he looked ready to either scream or cry.

After their testimony the trial broke up for awhile. Sam was standing with Sophia when Greg came and found them. He reached out for Sam's hand immediately, gripping it tight. His hand was sweaty and he still looked pale. "This is a circus," he remarked to Sophia. "I feel like I should say something," he said, but Sophia stopped him in his tracks, explaining that it would only make him look guilty. "I just want to be able to sleep again," Greg replied. Sam squeezed his hand, wishing there was more she could do.

"Want to go get some air?" she asked him when Sophia went back to the lab.

Greg looked around. "Yeah, sure, I'm just going to run to the bathroom quickly," Greg finally said, giving Sam's waist a squeeze and kissing her forehead while still watching the media circus around him. Sam leaned against the wall waiting for him. Suddenly she saw Demetrius James' brother leave the bathroom. Sam straightened up in alarm just as Greg walked out. He walked straight past her, reaching out to grab her hand and drag her outside.

They walked a bit, away from the crowds, finally stopping. Greg didn't say a word; he just stopped, blinking quite a bit. Sam reached out and put her arms around his waist, pulling him close. He wrapped his arms around her squeezing her tight. "I don't think I can do this," he whispered, so softly she wasn't even sure he meant for her to hear it. She pulled back and took his face in her hands.

"You _can_ do this, Greg," she said. "It's your chance to talk next. Just stick to the facts, be honest, and you'll be fine. I will be right there." She kissed him softly, keeping her eyes closed tight because she didn't think she could bear to see the pain in his eyes. She wrapped her arms back around him, and they stood like that for a few minutes before Sam released Greg. She took his hand and led him back to the court.

Greg did well on the stand, and Sam was filled with admiration for him when he very quickly shut down the judge's insinuation that he was drunk during the incident. Nick and Warrick had helped out with a computer simulation of this incident. Finally, the verdict came in: the death was excusable. Sam was relieved, but Greg wasn't; he was still shaken up and unhappy with the verdict. Sam finally got him away from the crowd and into their car.

"You want to come back to my place?" she asked. Greg looked at her, surprised. "You said you've been having a hard time sleeping. Why not just come back to my place, we can drink some beer, put on a comedy, and relax, try and get your mind off of things."

Greg nodded so Sam headed to her place.

* * *

Sam led Greg into her apartment. He looked around, admiring the "fancy" IKEA furniture. He went over to the movie collection while Sam grabbed a few beers and threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

"_Nice_ collection," Greg admired. "Oh, _Animal House_, perfect!" He slipped the movie in and plopped on the couch.

Sam laughed as she set down the beer and popcorn, sitting on the opposite end of the couch and swinging her legs around so they were in Greg's lap. They cracked open the beers and chowed down on the popcorn. Greg didn't seem to want to talk about the trial so Sam didn't mention it, instead just letting him enjoy the movie. When the popcorn was gone, Sam nudged Greg to sit on the floor, giving him a pillow for his back, and sat on the couch behind him, massaging his shoulders until he relaxed and joined her back on the couch.

An hour later, Sam looked over and saw Greg was asleep. He looked so peaceful; Sam didn't want to wake him up. However she decided he might be more comfortable in her bed. Thinking he might sleep better with some company, she gently woke him up and led him half asleep to the bedroom.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" he muttered.

"Shhh, we're just sleeping."

Greg slipped off his shirt and his pants and slid into bed in just his boxers. Sam couldn't hid a grin as she snuck a peak at his body. He was more toned then she had expected. Sam slipped into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and climbed into bed too. Greg wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly.

"Thanks you, this is just what I needed."

Curled up and finally feeling comforted for the first time in weeks, Greg and Sam slept peacefully.


	7. Bad Timing

**Next chapter! Please review! I'm a little worried I made Sam a bit whiny and needy here, so please critique that...the last thing I want to do is make her one of "those" girls...enjoy!**

Sam woke up and stretched, accidentally hitting someone else. She was a bit surprised at first to find she was not alone in her bed. She turned over and saw Greg still fast asleep, his hand on her waist. Looking at the clock, Sam decided to let him sleep some more. He needed the sleep so badly, and he looked so peaceful. Getting up slowly, Sam tiptoed into the shower and then into the kitchen. It was while she was scrabbling some eggs that Greg emerged from the bedroom. He was still shirtless but had modestly pulled his pants on over his boxers.

"Morning," he said, standing awkwardly in the entrance to the kitchen. "Mind if I take a shower?"

"Go for it, towels in the closet, I'll have breakfast for you when you're done."

Greg came back 15 minutes later, fully dressed in his clothes from the night before, his hair wet. Sam smiled at him, noticed how adorably dorky he looked with his hair sticking straight up. "Breakfast is on the table," she said, pouring two cups of coffee and bringing them over to the table, which was set with eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Wow, what a spread," Greg commented, sitting down and eagerly digging in. Sam purposely kept the conversation light; they talked about work, interesting cases, and their coworkers. Once breakfast was done, Greg helped Sam do the dishes. Sam was going into work, Greg was told by Grissom though to take the day off. They walked to the door together, kissing as they parted ways.

* * *

Sam called Greg as she was leaving work. "Hey you," he answered, causing Sam to smile at the obvious delight in his voice. "Hey, how was your day off?" she asked.

"Lonely but good. How was the office?"

"Lonely," she replied.

"Want to come over, I can make you dinner?"

"I'm on my way."

Sam arrived at Greg's place, and he opened the door. Both broke into grins when they saw each other, coming together in a sweet, gentle kiss. They broke apart; grinning at each other like idiots, until Greg finally cleared his throat and stepped aside to let Sam in.

"I made a big pot of spaghetti, and some garlic bread. It's nothing fancy, but hey, I am a bachelor," Greg said with a laugh.

"No worries," Sam replied, "I'll eat anything."

Dinner was similar to breakfast, lots of lighthearted conversation. Sam passed on the messages that everyone at work had given her; all messages were given to Sam with a wink and a comment that alluded to: "I know you'll see Greg later." After dinner, the two settled down on the couch and found some Scrubs reruns. Sam started yawning after an episode. "Do you want to crash here?" Greg asked.

Sam could see the look he was trying to hide, the look that said "please stay, I don't want to be alone."

"I'd love too," Sam said, following Greg to his room.

* * *

This became a routine with Greg and Sam. Greg found it easier to sleep with Sam's arms around him. Every day when their shift was over, Greg and Sam would head back to one of the two apartments to watch a movie and fall asleep together. A week after this started, the entire team decided to meet up for dinner after shift.

Sam was walking to her car with Sara to head to the restaurant.

"So, you and Greg have been coming into work together a lot…having slumber parties?" Sara asked with a wink.

"Maybe…" was the laughing reply.

"Alright, look, Greg and I have always been like brother and sister, but I have to ask…how is he..?"

"What do you mean, how is he?"

"You know, in bed?"

"Oh," Sam looked surprised. "We haven't actually slept together yet."

It was Sara's turn to look surprised. "Then what exactly have you guys been doing?"

"Sleeping, literally. It was just a comfort thing."

"And he hasn't tried anything? That doesn't sound like Sanders…"

"I'm comfortable taking things slow…what's the rush?"

Sara sensed however that Sam was slightly concerned about Greg's perceived lack of physical interest in her.

Meanwhile Greg was in the car with Warrick and Nick. "So Greggo, what are you doing with your porn collection now that you have a girlfriend?" Warrick asked, grinning at Greg through the rearview window.

"Why, you want it?"

"Haha, no seriously Sanders, how's it feel finally getting laid on a regular basis?"

"It's uh, great…" Greg stammered, extremely grateful they had just arrived at the restaurant.

* * *

After dinner, everyone split up to go get some sleep. Sara grabbed a ride with Nick and Sam offered Greg to come with her. Both were feeling slightly awkward about the conversations they had had with their coworkers.

"My place or yours?" Greg finally asked to break the silence.  
"Either works," Sam replied, not really looking at him.

"My place it is," he said, as they got in the car.

Once arriving at Greg's they went into the bedroom. Greg started to pull back the covers when Sam suddenly grabbed Greg's face in her hands and kissed him passionately, letting her tongue slip past his lips. Greg was pleasantly surprised by her aggressive attitude.

Greg returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked with no warning.

Greg smiled. "Of course"

"Do you want to date me, and me exclusively?"

"Of course…I thought that was obvious," Greg was clearly puzzled.

"Then how come you haven't tried anything?"

Greg sighed and sat down on the bed. "It's not that I haven't thought about it…I've thought about it a lot actually. But first of all, I didn't want you to feel that I was taking advantage of your sympathy."

Sam could understand that, but she also sensed there was something else on his mind. "Greg, what's up?"

Avoiding her eyes, Greg finally spoke. "Look, I'm not the most suave guy when it comes to this stuff, ok? I didn't lose my virginity until I was 22, I've been with more than one woman but never anything serious. Drunken, rip off each others clothes, and then say goodnight right after the deed? That I can do. But actually making love to someone that I really like? That's a different story…"

Sam couldn't help but find his insecurity cute. She kissed him softly. "Greg, I'm in the same boat you are. But we don't have to get it right the first time. We can take our time and figure it out together slowly, and just enjoy making each other feel good."

Greg finally looked Sam in the eyes. He could see that her expression was not judging him, but was truly caring. He faced her and starting kissing her. She kissed him back, slowly pushing him back onto the bed. One hand of his was in her hair, the other slipped under her shirt rubbing her back. Sam slowly slipped one hand under his shirt, running it up his smooth abs.

Suddenly, Greg's cell phone went off. "Crap," Greg got off the bed and grabbed the phone. "It's Grissom," he answered it. After a minute of Greg listening he hung up. "Homicide on 4th Avenue, I'm so sorry, I have to go…"

Suddenly Sam's phone went off as well.

"And apparently so do you…"


	8. Surprise

**AN:Finally a new chapter! Keep reviewing! Much appreciation and hugs to my new beta, Happyharper13, because she is fabulous! Enjoy!**

Sam and Greg arrived at the crime scene highly irritated and frustrated.

"Geez what's up with you two?" Warrick asked, an all-to knowing look in his eye.

"Oh shut up," was Greg's growled reply.

They went about processing the scene, occasionally sneaking glances at each other. They just hoped they could get home soon.

By the time Sam and Greg got back to Greg's apartment, they were so exhausted that nothing was on their mind except for sleep. Greg stripped off his clothes and collapsed in the bed and Sam plopped down next to him, throwing one arm across his body. They were both asleep instantly.

Several hours later, Sam woke up slowly, stretching out and trying to remember where she was. Greg was stretched out on his back, mouth hanging open.

Sam suddenly remembered the double shift they had worked, and how they had been interrupted.

She reached over and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her head into his neck. Greg moaned sleepily and turned over. His eyes stayed closed as he blindly tried to find her lips. He finally found them, and kissed her. Unable to control herself, Sam slowly ran her hands across his chest and stomach. Greg moaned again and starting running his hands over her body. Fully awake now, he rolled over to face Sam.

"Well good morning," he said. Sam's only response was a devious smile as she slowly slid her hand lower down his stomach. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, a slight look of hesitation on his face.

"Of course I do…let's just take it slow, and enjoy every minute."

Greg responded by kissing her softly and slowly slipping her tank top over her shoulders. Sam slowly started sliding his boxers down, watching him gasp as her fingers brushed over him.

He stopped what he was doing and reached over to the bedside table. After a minute of fumbling with a wrapper, he slowly climbed on top of her. She smiled up at him, nothing but trust and affection in her eyes.

"God, you're beautiful," was all he could say.

* * *

The next day at work, Sam and Greg were all smiles. Unfortunately, their happiness was not lost on anyone, including Grissom. He called Greg into his office the minute he arrived.

"Have a seat Greg. I want to talk to you."

Greg cleared his throat uncomfortably and took a seat, avoiding Grissoms' eyes. "What can I do for you, Gris?"

"Well, as you know, there is a policy against inter-office dating. And it is no surprise to anyone that something is clearly going on between you and CSI Samantha Carter."

Greg continued to look nervous and didn't know what to say.

"Greg, you've been in the lab for a long time. You have matured tremendously over the years. You've had a rough time as of late, and it's great to see you finally smiling again. I am fine with you and Samantha being together. But it needs to be kept on the down low. If anyone higher up gets wind of it, it could be bad. So just be smart about it, ok? And make sure Ecklie doesn't find out."

Greg nodded, trying not to smile too much in an attempt to seem professional and mature. When he looked up though, he saw that Grissom was smiling.

"Thank you," Greg said, leaving Grissom's office.

He found Sam in the lab, getting ready to look over some bed sheets from a case. He walked nonchalantly up beside her and gently bumped her. She jumped a little, having been so focused on her work that she hadn't seen him come in.

"Hey, you, everything go ok with Grissom?"

Greg nodded. "We're good. Don't worry. How are you doing?"

Sam looked at Greg. She sensed there was more to his question than he let on.

"Good…why?"

Greg cleared his throat. "I just want to make sure you are ok with everything last night."

Sam smiled. "So ok that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it," she told Greg with a wink, leaving him dumbfounded, yet quite pleased with himself.

Weeks went by and Sam and Greg's relationship fell into a comfortable routine. They spent most nights at one another's apartments.

Greg's confidence grew, thanks in large part to the relationship; he was doing great professionally and personally. He impressed everyone, including Grissom. He was starting to feel much more like an adult with his coworkers, rather than like a lowly lab tech; his opinion was valued.

A few months after the trial, Sara left. This was hard on Greg, as he was close to her. Not long after Sara left, the entire team was waiting in the meeting room for Grissom to come in. The team had heard that a potential serial killer from New York had fled to Vegas, and a detective had followed him. They were wondering if they would get to assist with this case.

Grissom finally walked into the room. Everyone immediately straightened up in their chairs and listened.

"We've got a potential serial killer from New York who has been tracked here. A detective from New York is here. He will be working with one of you, undercover. This man tends to like fancy parties, so we need an undercover CSI to go to these public places and collect, alongside the detective."

He paused as everyone listened carefully, wanting to know who was going to get to go undercover.

"Sam, you are doing it. The detective going is a man, so a female CSI would be best to accompany him. You will look like each others' dates. Catherine is recognizable as a top CSI, so Sam -- good luck and be careful. I'm going to meet with the detective. I'll introduce you two in a minute."

Grissom left the room. Everyone looked excited for Sam. Greg also looked a little nervous. Sam put her hand on his thigh under the table and squeezed reassuringly.

"I'll be fine, babe. Don't worry," she told him.

Greg nodded and then went to go check on some test results. Everyone else left except Sam and Catherine, who stayed behind chatting. Catherine was giving Sam some advice when they heard a voice from the doorway.

"Well, this is the last place I expected to find Samantha Carter!" There was no mistaking that thick New York accent, and, when Sam turned around slowly, she knew those blue eyes instantly. Catherine watched her oddly as Sam's whole body went rigid.

"SHIT" she thought to herself. Finally she spoke aloud. "Hello, Donnie."


	9. Blast from the Past

**Woohoo, new chapter! Don't get to upset about me being mean to Greg, he wont have an easy time of it for a few chapters, but I believe in happy endingsm so don't worry...anyways, please review! Reviews motivate me!**

Grissom walked in the room behind the blue eyed man. "Detective Flack, this is CSI Catherine Willows and CSI Samantha Carter. Samantha will be your partner in this."

Flack started to say something, but a glare from Sam made him change his mind. Instead, Sam stuck out her hand to shake his, mumbling that it was nice to meet him. Catherine stood up to introduce herself as well.

"I'm going to take Detective Flack to meet Brass. I want you in my office in half an hour, Sam, to discuss everything." Grissom turned to leave as Flack gave once last glance at Sam before following him out. Once the men had left, Sam plopped into a chair. Catherine sat down as well.

"Alright, Sam, out with it," she said, not beating around the bush.

Sam just groaned. "It's nothing, I swear.'

"Sam, if you can't tell me, I'll have to assume it's a personal issue, and I will have you pulled off the case."

"NO!" Sam interjected. "Please, don't. I can handle it. I swear."

Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, fine," Sam gave in. "But this stays between us. Promise me!"

Catherine hesitated but nodded finally.

"The summer before my last year in college, I did an internship in New York with the NYPD. Don was just a cop then. I had no idea he'd become a detective. Anyways, I worked alongside him a lot that summer, and I hated him. Ugh, he was such an ass. We were constantly clashing. At the end of the summer, there was a massive drug bust that got the entire department involved. When it was solved, there was a huge party at the precinct. I had a lot to drink, Don and I got into an argument, and I went for a walk to get away from him and to keep myself from punching him."

At this point Sam seemed to lose the interest in telling her story, but a look from Catherine quickly told her that she had no choice at this point.

"Anyways, Don followed me, and we ended up in the interrogation room. I was telling him what an asshole he was, when suddenly he kissed me…one thing led to another, and well…"

Catherine's jaw dropped. "Well I am definitely surprised by that. You never struck me as the one night stand type…"

"Trust me, I'm not, that was my one and only…anyways, he never even looked at me after, and, a week later, I went back to Boston. It's been five years and I haven't heard head or tail of him since."

Catherine looked sharply at Sam. "Are you sure you can handle this case?"

"Catherine, please, I promise I can handle it. It will be fine. It was a long time ago."

Catherine sized up Sam. "Alright, fine. I won't tell anyone. Don't let me down, Sam. I'm going out on a limb for you."

Sam nodded. "Thank you, Catherine."

Catherine went to go make some more coffee while Sam turned to leave the room.

"Hey, Sam?" Catherine called her back. Sam turned to look at her. "You should tell Greg though. Don't let him get blindsided."

Sam nodded and left the room.

Sam left the room, and turned the corner, walking straight into Don.

"What do you want, Don?" she asked, as he smirked down at her.

"Glad to know some things never change. You are just as feisty as ever!"

Sam just glared and started to walk away. Flack reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hey Sam, wait." Sam tugged her arm out of his grip, but turned around to face him.

"Sam, I'm sorry about what happened back in New York. I was young and stupid. I didn't handle things right. I feel like an ass. But I'm not that guy anymore. I've grown up."

Sam let out a mocking laugh.

"I'm serious, Sam! Come on. It'll be fun to work together again and catch up. I promise I'm not that big of an ass anymore." Don broke out into a grin. "And if I am, I'm sure you'll put me in my place, as always."

Sam finally smiled. "Alright, I'll meet you in Grissom's office in five minutes."

XXXX

The initial meetings with Grissom, Brass, and Don had gone well. Sam was getting excited about the case. She could also see that Don had changed. He was a lot more mature, although he still had that fiery spark she was always attracted too, but would never admit she liked. Sam had not had time to tell Greg about her past with Don; she was waiting for the right time.

After shift, Sam was lying in bed with Greg. She was flipping back and forth between a Red Sox game and a bad VH1 reality show. Greg was reading over notes for the book he was writing on the history of Vegas; once and awhile he would have Sam look over something to get her opinion. Finally giving in to her exhaustion, Sam decided to go to sleep. Greg decided to stay up a bit longer and write, dimming the lights. Sam snuggled up on her side but intertwined her feet with Greg's so she could still feel close to him. She fell asleep rather quickly.

Suddenly she was back in the alleyway down the street from the courthouse; it was the day of Greg's trial again. She was holding him close, while he was whispering that he didn't think he could it. She told him that she knew he could, and keeping her eyes closed so she wouldn't burst into tears at the pain in his eyes, she kissed him deeply. This time the kiss was much deeper and much more passionate then she remembered it the first time. She pulled back and took his hand to lead him back to court. She finally looked in his eyes and got a big shock; it wasn't Greg, it was Don.

Then she was in Greg's apartment, and it was their first time making love. He was on top of her, and she could feel his whole body, making her feel amazing. Then he collapsed on top of her, and when he lifted his head to kiss her, it was once again Flack's blue eyes looking into hers.

Suddenly Sam woke up with a jolt. She was alone in bed; she could hear Greg in the bathroom. She sat up in bed, shaking her head to try to get the images out.

Sam heard the toilet flush and quickly laid back down. Greg got into bed quietly, trying not to wake her. She felt his arms wrap around her and she stayed perfectly still, not wanting him to know she was awake, and that he wasn't the only one she was dreaming of.


	10. Mistakes

**Here we go! This chapter doesn't have much Greg, but next chapter will be loaded with Greg...I promise! Please continue to review, throw out comments, suggestions, etc. Thanks!**

Sam went into work the next evening feeling extremely apprehensive. She hadn't had any more dreams, but all intentions of telling Greg had gone right out the window.

The undercover party -- with Flack -- was tonight. The suspect was expected to be there, and they were going to stalk him until he put down a used glass, or anything else from which they could extract DNA.

Greg was standing in the lab when Sam walked in, wearing a black cocktail dress with black heels. She had to laugh as his jaw dropped.

"So, do you think I look the part?"

"Of course. But where are you keeping the evidence bags, and the tweezers, and the gun?"

"A woman never tells," Sam replied with a smirk. Greg pulled her close. She could tell he was worried. "Stop freaking out. I'll be fine," she assured him.

He just gripped her tighter.

"I know you will. The detective seems like a good guy. I'm sure he'll make sure you stay safe."

Sam just kissed Greg and then said her goodbyes.

XXXX

"Ready, Sam?" She turned in the hallway to see Flack walking towards her in a nice black suit.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with a smile.

"Do you have the evidence bags?" Sam nodded.

"What about your gun?" Another nod.

Flack paused. "Wait, where are you keeping --"

Sam cut him off. "Ok, everyone needs to stop asking that."

Flack just gave a short laugh.

"Alright, fine. I'll leave it up to the imagination." Flack took her hand and pulled her toward the door. "Let's get moving. We've got a party to get to."

XXXXX

Sam and Flack walked into the party and surveyed the scene.

"Here we go," Flack said, offering Sam his arm. She smiled and accepted it.

It was a cocktail party for a CD launch, and there were already about a hundred people there. Everyone was dressed in cocktail dresses or suits; it was formal, but not exactly Academy Awards fancy. The room was large and circular, with tables in the middle adorned with fancy white table clothes and fine china. There were a couple of bars set up around the outside of the ring of tables.

Sam had only seen a blurry security camera photo of the suspect, so she was relying on Flack to find him. She knew he was middle age, stocky, and had big hands. They strolled around, arm in arm, looking at the people but trying not to look suspicious. They grabbed cocktails from the bar, but didn't drink them, although Sam was tempted to. Anything to ease her anxiety; she sensed it had little to do with the case.

"We might have a hard time staying inconspicuous tonight," Flack said to Sam, handing her a martini.

"Why's that?" Sam asked, looking around insecurely and wondering if she was doing something wrong.

"Because you look absolutely amazing," he replied, staring into her eyes.

Sam felt a jolt in her stomach. Not only had she not told Greg about Flack, but she hadn't told Flack about Greg. Sam wasn't sure if he was flirting with any real romantic goal, but she still knew she had to stop it.

"Don- listen," she started, but suddenly he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. She panicked when he lowered his face to hers, afraid he was going to kiss her. Relief shot through her when, instead, he whispered softly, but urgently, in her ear.

"I see him," he whispered. "Let's get closer. He's got a drink in his hand. We need to be ready to grab it the second he puts it down."

Sam nodded and followed Flack around the room. For almost half an hour they mingled, following the man. He was very sociable, talking to several young women as he walked around the room. Suddenly, the suspect put his drink down on a table. Don and Sam made their move towards the table, but a waiter, heading in the same direction to clear all empty drinks from the table, intercepted their path and successfully secured all of the glasses.

With a quick squeeze of Sam's hand, Don headed straight for the waiter, 'accidentally' bumping him. The waiter was short in stature, and Don put his hands on the man to steady him while apologizing.

With the waiter distracted, Sam squeezed between the table and Don in time to discretely grab the glass and slip it into her purse. Flack gave her a wink.

Evidence secure, she continued towards the door. A few moments later, Don joined her. The two linked arms and left the room.

XXXXX

Two hours later, Sam was in the interrogation room, sitting across from the suspect. Flack stood behind her, glaring at the man. His blue eyes burned. She knew he wanted to nail this guy for everything he had done.

Flack started right in. "Why don't you just make this easy on everyone, and confess to the murders back in New York?"

The man didn't move; he just gazed at Flack, not saying a word.

"Fine. You don't want to talk. We've already got the hair sample matching your DNA, and now we are just waiting for test results on the blood. If it comes back a match, we've got you, confession or not," Sam said this with extreme satisfaction. She knew the results could be in any second and she wanted to get this guy almost as much as Flack did. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Those must be our results," Flack said, heading to the door and opening it.

The minute his hand was on the doorknob the suspect lunged across the table, wrapping his hands around Sam's neck.

She saw the suspect's eyes, cold and dark, boring into hers.

She heard Flack yell.

She was vaguely aware of more bodies coming into the room.

Then she heard a gunshot, and one person's face flashed through her mind before everything went black.

XXXX

Sam woke up on the floor of the interrogation room. It took a few moments for her to register what was going on. She saw Grissom first, leaning over her. She realized that she was in Flack's arms, and that Flack was extremely pale.

"What happened?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling the extreme pain in her throat and neck.

She looked around and realized the suspect was gone, but there was a lot of blood on the floor.

"The suspect tried to choke you," Grissom explained. "We couldn't get his hands off of you. Brass finally had to shoot him. He was hit in the leg." Grissom also looked pale, as he stood up. "I'm going to direct the paramedics in. I want you checked out," he told Sam before leaving the room.

Flack finally spoke. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I never should have let that creep out of my sight."

Sam had never seen Don shook up before. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Suddenly, Sam looked up and saw Greg rush into the room. He ran right over to her. His panic made him impervious to everything else at first.

He leaned right over and kissed Sam on the forehead.

Suddenly, he noticed that Flack's arms were around her. The look of shock on Flack's face immediately told Greg that he had clearly missed something.


	11. Say Anything

**Sorry this took so long! My fabulous beta**** Happyharper13 and I worked really hard on it! It's kind of sad, but it will start getting happier from now on, I promise! Enjoy!**

Sam was sitting in the passenger seat of Greg's car as he drove her home from the hospital.

Grissom had insisted she get checked out, but, other than some bruising, she was going to be fine. Physically, at least.

Grissom and the paramedics had broken up the awkwardness in the interrogation room, but Sam had not seen Flack since then. Greg had gone to the hospital with her, and although he had held her hand and talked intently with the doctor, he had hardly said two words to Sam.

Now, Greg was driving her home, but the silence remained. Sam wanted to say something -- anything --, but words wouldn't come. So, instead, she rested her head against the cool window glass, enjoying the sensation. The pain medication the doctors had given her made her a little woozy and nauseas, although she was sure a part of that was the intense feeling of dread she had.

The car slowed down, and Sam turned her head to glance out the window: they had finally arrived at her building. Greg parked and walked around to open the door for her. He offered her a hand to get out, but broke the physical contact as soon as she was standing.

Greg led the way to her apartment, staying close to her in case she got dizzy from the drugs flooding her system, but never touching her. He used his spare key to open the door, stepping back to let her enter first. He followed her in and went to the closet, hanging her jacket up, but leaving his own on. This simple action was like a kick in the stomach to Sam.

"Greg, I'm-" Sam started to speak, but Greg interrupted her.

"You need to get into bed," he said. His tone was flat, with no emotion. "Go change and I'll be in in a second."

Sam swallowed her words and headed into the bedroom where she and Greg had spent so many nights together. She went to her drawer, the sickening feeling getting worse when she saw his own sweatpants in her drawer and realized how much their lives had become one. She skipped over those, opting for a pair of fleece pajamas from college. She slowly climbed into the bed, taking her time partly because her body hurt, and partly because she had a feeling once she was settled, he was going to leave. Out of habit she settled on the left side of the bed.

Greg came into the room a minute later, bringing a water bottle from her fridge and the pain medication the doctor had given her with him. He placed it on the bedside table on the right side and sat down on the edge of the bed, his back to her. Sam slowly pulled her body into a sitting position and reached out, her hand resting on his back. He flinched when he felt her touch, but slowly turned toward her.

"Greg, I'm sorry. I should have told you before…" Sam knew she was talking extremely fast, but she needed to tell him, needed him to finally say something. "I knew Detective Flack from a summer internship I did in New York in college. I hadn't talked to him in five years when he showed up here."

"Knew him how?" Greg asked, looking away from her and absentmindedly tugging at a loose thread on the bedspread.

"We worked on the same case…" Sam started, her voice betraying her attempt to keep back the tears. "And we had a bit too much to drink one night…." Sam's voice failed her. She couldn't speak anymore. It turns out Greg didn't need to hear anymore either.

Greg's body jerked, and Sam reached out to him, tears starting to stream down her face. He quickly got up off the bed and headed to the window, placing his hands and forehead on it. Even from her spot on the bed, she could see how tensed up his shoulders were.

"Greg, please!" Sam was close to pleading for his understanding.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Greg asked from his position across the room. She couldn't see his face when he asked the question; he kept his back turned to her, his shoulders hunched and his head down.

"No," Sam replied, but she knew it sounded weak. "I admit," Sam said this really fast, "having him here dragged up some old emotions, but it's not him I want -- it's you!"

"I wish I believed you," he paused, clenching his fists and tilting his head slightly back, as if he was trying to hold back tears. "But when you keep one thing from me, I can't help but wonder what else you are keeping from me…"

His voice made her heart break, he sounded so disappointed and sad. Sam hated herself for ever making him think, even for a second, that she could want anyone but him.

"Greg, please look at me!" Sam begged, still facing his hunched back. She was nearing hysterics.

"I can't," he replied, straightening up and running one hand through his hair. "I have to go."

And he turned and walked out of the bedroom.

A few seconds later, Sam heard the front door slam shut.

XXXXX

Sam hadn't moved from her bed since Greg had left. Forty-five minutes had gone by when she heard a knock at the door. Jumping up, she ran to the door and threw it open. It was Catherine.

"Hey, Sam, can I come in?"

Sam didn't say anything -- she just moved aside and let Catherine enter the apartment.

"Greg called me. He asked me if I could check on you -- make sure you are okay." Catherine paused. "Why is Greg asking me to check on you, rather than being here himself…?"

Suddenly it was all too much for Sam. The combination of pain medication, the realization that a man had tried to choke her to death, and the indescribable pain of watching the man she loved walk out on her, made the normally strong CSI crack.

Catherine led the young CSI to the couch and wrapped an arm around her. Sam spilled the whole story -- about how she hadn't told Greg about her history with Flack, about him finding out, and about her mixed-up feelings. Catherine made no attempt to talk. She just watched and comforted Sam as the younger woman let it all out. When Sam was finally done, Catherine nodded with understanding.

"We all make mistakes, Sam. You need to figure out what you want."

Sam interjected. "I know what I want. I want Greg. When that man was choking me, all I could think about was Greg, not Flack. Don's a good friend, but he's not the man I've fallen in love with…"

"Then you need to tell Greg that, and don't let up until he believes you," Catherine replied. She handed Sam another kleenex to wipe away the slowing tears.

Sam nodded. "I will. I need to tie things up with Don first though."

XXXX

He was standing under the big screen, watching the list of flight times scroll down, when he heard her approach. Two days had passed since the incident in the interrogation room and his calls to Sam had gone unanswered, up until this morning. He had been packing up his hotel room when he heard her call finally come in. Sam had asked to see him again, and now here she was, to see him off.

Sam walked up slowly, unsure of what to say or how he would react.

"How are you feeling?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.

Sam forced herself to look up into his eyes. She was surprised at what she felt: nothing. No spark of anything.

"I've been better," she replied.

"You're dating that guy, aren't you?"

Sam nodded. "I'm sorry if I led you on, Don."

Flack put up a hand to stop her. "You didn't. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part." He paused. "He's a lucky guy," he finished.

Sam fought back tears. Flack stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"Go make it right, Sam," he whispered.

"Are we ok?" she asked.

"Yeah. Of course." Flack kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave. "If you ever return to New York, look me up. Okay?"

Sam smiled slightly. Flack turned and walked through the gate.

Sam watched him go.

She now had to head back to work, and make things better with Greg.

XXXX

Sam walked into the break room to find Greg pouring coffee. She stood in the doorway for a minute, watching him. Her heartbeat sped up and she wondered how she could ever, for even a second, have thought about being with someone else. He looked so perfect standing there. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, kiss him, make love to him and fall asleep in his arms.

"Greg," she started. Her voice sounded much softer than she had planned.

Greg turned around slowly, knowing it was her.

"Greg -- I'm so sorry. Please -- I never meant to hurt you. He means nothing to me!" Tears were already streaming down her face.

"Sam, I can't do this right now. I have a lot of work to finish up before I leave."

Sam's heart stopped.

"YOU QUIT?!"

Greg sighed.

"Stop being so over-dramatic. I have an interview with a book publisher. I'm taking a few days off."

Sam took a step forward and reached for his hand. "Greg, I'm in love with you, please-" but Greg had yanked his hand back.

"Don't you dare tell me you love me as a weak attempt to make things right. If you loved me, you would have told me the truth about him. You wouldn't have hid things from me!"

His voice was raised. Sam had never heard Greg like this, and, for some reason, it angered her more.

"What?! So everything I've done for you -- the way I've stood by you -- it all counts for nothing?! Because I made one mistake?!"

She was in hysterics now, unable to control herself. Suddenly she noticed tears in his eyes too. This calmed her down.

"I can't do this right now Sam. Let's cool it and talk when I get back."

With that, Greg turned and left the room.


	12. Stay

Greg left two days later. They had barely said two words to each other. Sam was barely sleeping at night- she still slept on the left side of the bed, hating the cold right side that was empty of the one person that could make her feel better. Greg's only form of goodbye was a nod of the head when he passed her in the hallway of the lab as he left for the airport.

The next night, the call came through from Brass that changed everything; Warrick was right about Gedda and had been shot.

Sam was in a daze. She sat on a bench in the alley next to Nick. She held his hand tightly as they sat in silence. Their grief was beyond tears. Sam looked up to see Catherine walking towards them. The look on her face when she saw Sam and Nick showed that she hadn't believed the news- wouldn't believe it- until she saw it. She walked towards Grissom, still with Warrick's body. Sam heard Nick choke back a sob and she put an arm around him as the two friends leaned into each other.

As the sun came up the team needed to start processing. They had all insisted on taking the case. Grissom, Nick and Sam were standing together when Catherine came over.

"Greg's on his way back from the airport," she said, touching Sam gently on the arm. Sam couldn't focus on that now though, she had a job to do.

Sam was walking through the hallway when she saw Greg walk in. She watched a small exchange with him and Grissom, and then Greg continued down the hall. When he saw Sam, he walked towards her. They both wrapped their arms around each other, and Sam couldn't stop tears from leaking out. She was crying for the loss of Warrick, and for how much she missed Greg.

"You holding up ok?" Greg asked her, pulling back but keeping his hands on her arms.

Sam wiped her eyes quickly.

"Yeah, I'm just keeping busy…you?"

Greg nodded.

"I'm going to go process- I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Sam nodded, noticing that Greg's hands on her lingered slightly longer than necessary.

* * *

A few hours later, the entire team was assembled in Grissom's office. Sarah had flown in to be there. She was going to handle the funeral arrangements, and Greg offered to help.

"I'll take over the rest of your work," Sam told him. Greg gave her an appreciative look.

The next week passed in a daze. Warrick's murderer was caught, and then came the funeral. Greg and Sam were sitting next to each other. When Grissom was giving the eulogy, tears started rolling down Sam's face. Greg put an arm around her, pulling her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and let the tears fall as he gently kissed the top of her head.

After the funeral, the team grabbed a quick bite to eat, but no one wanted to linger. Everyone separated to go their own way. Sam and Greg were the last to leave, standing awkwardly in the parking lot, unsure how to proceed. Finally Sam spoke.

"Do you want to come back to my place?"

Greg hesitated, and then nodded. They got in their cars and headed to Sam's place. Once inside, the awkwardness continued. Greg stood in the doorway, unsure what to do. Sam waved a hand towards the couch.

"Take a seat, I'll grab some beers," Sam said, and Greg went to sit down. He sat on one end of the couch, and Sam plopped down on the other, tucking one leg under her. She handed him a beer and they both sipped at them while making small talk about the case, the funeral, and when Greg would reschedule his appointment with the publisher. The conversation was light and little eye contact was made. Sam really wanted to talk about the situation between them, but bit her tongue; Greg had just lost a close friend and she was trying as hard as she could to be sensitive.

A few moments of silence passed. Sam glanced up at Greg and recognized the expression on his face; he was trying to keep it together. Greg caught her looking at him and Sam threw caution to the wind, moving down the couch and wrapping her arms around him. Greg let loose the emotions of the last week and sought temporary comfort in Sam's arms. She rubbed his back but didn't say anything. After a bit of time he calmed down, sitting back up.

"Sorry," he muttered, embarrassed.

"Don't ever apologize," Sam told him.

"I scream at you, walk out on you, yet you are still there for me when I need," Greg said softly.

"Because I meant it when I said I loved you…" Sam replied, facing her fears and looking in his eyes. He met her gaze and finally nodded.

"Things won't get better overnight, Sam…but they will get better between us…I want them too…"

Sam nodded. "I want that too."

Greg stood up. "It's late, I should be going."

"Do you want to spend the night?" Sam asked.

Greg hesitated before responding. "Lets take it slow to start," was his eventual response.

Part of her wanted to beg him to stay, but she was afraid of scaring him off. So instead she stood up and walked him to the door. They hugged tightly and he did kiss her, but it was a short kiss. After he left Sam plopped back on the couch. She knew she was getting a second change with Greg, and she wasn't going to blow it this time.


	13. Close Call

**AN: Whoa, sorry updates have been few and far between, but I have not abandoned this story! Here's a new chapter! It's part drama/angst, part fluff (like, really really fluffy). Enjoy and review!**

The weeks went by after Warrick's death. A new CSI by the name of Riley joined the team. Greg and Sam were friendly with each other, but it wasn't the same yet. Greg still had a wall erected. They still hung out on occasion outside of work, yet it was mostly group things. When they did have some alone time, it was to watch a movie or grab a bite to eat. He wasn't his normal, physically affectionate self, and it was really hurting Sam.

After a difficult case, the team was wrapping it up in the break room. They had worked straight through the day, and most everyone else was ready to go home and go to bed. Sam on the other hand needed to blow off some steam before she could sleep.

"Anyone want to go hit up a club tonight?" she asked the group, already knowing Grissom was a no.

Catherine wanted to see her daughter, and Nick and Greg both felt like going to bed. To everyone's surprise though, Riley spoke up.

"Yeah, I'll go," she said. Although there was no real dislike between the two female CSI's, Sam insecurity about Greg made her immediately suspicious of Riley, and Riley was none to impressed with Sam's cold demeanor. Therefore the two had never really warmed up to each other.

Sam saw Nick and Greg shot each other a concerned glance, but Sam didn't want a catfight. She really just wanted to go out, dance, and forget the bloody crime scene of the last 48 hours.

"Let's go then," she said to Riley, and they headed out of the room.

Two hours later, the two CSI's were in line for a club. They had both ditched the crime scene vests for tight jeans, heels, and tank tops. As they talked in line, Sam found herself actually enjoying Riley's company.

As the got up to the bouncer at the door, Riley turned to Sam. "Ready to pretend we can still drink like we could in college?"

"Absolutely," she said with a grin.

The club was just what Sam needed. They went straight for the bar.

"So, cocktails?" Riley asked.

"And risk spilling them while we dance?"

"Shots it is, then!" Riley turned to the bartender and ordered two shots of tequila. They were just about to toss back the shots when they heard yelling. The fact that it was loud enough to hear over the music immediately alerted Sam and Riley that something was going down.

On instinct they put down the shots and reached in their purses for their badges.

"I really wish I had my gun right now," Sam said to Riley, as they headed over to a table. Two guys were screaming at each other while another girl watched, looking scared.

"I think this is a 'domestic dispute'" Riley told Sam.

"What's going on here?" Sam said loudly to the people involved in the altercation.

"Mind your own business, bitch!" was the response she got.

"Hey, see this badge? It says LVPD, that makes it our business, now take this outside!" Riley shot back.

Suddenly one of the two men reached into his pocket and pulled a gun, waving it around.

"I'll do whatever I damn well please!"

Panic started to set in. Club go-ers saw the gun and started to scream, rushing for the doors. Riley took a step forward.

"Give me the gun!" she said. While she was confronting the guy, Sam quietly walked over to the girl involved and tugged at her arm.

"Get outside and call the police, ok?" she said to her. She turned her back on the perpetrator to watch the girl walk away. Suddenly she heard the guy yell.

"Hey, get back here, bitch!" he said.

A shot rang out, and everything went black.

* * *

Sam was dreaming. It wasn't a clear dream though, it was a blurry dream. Just colors and sounds. She felt herself coming out of the dream slowly. She fought against the awakeness; it was to warm and comfortable.

The awakeness won though, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was extremely blurred; she couldn't see anything but a lot of white. She became aware of a hand holding hers, and she squeezed it on instinct.

"Sam, you're awake!" She recognized the voice instantly. It was her Greg.

"Why can't I see?" she asked, still a little foggy with sleep.

"You're not wearing contacts, here, I have your glasses."

He slipped them on her face, and she smiled immediately when she saw his brown eyes. She reached out with both arms to touch him, but her right arm wouldn't move. Looking over she saw it was in an elaborate cast/traction set up. She looked around the room she was in and realized it was a hospital. She suddenly felt scared.

"Greg, what's going on?"

His eyes were watering a bit. Before he could speak though, Nick, Riley and Catherine came through the door.

"You're awake!" Nick exclaimed, but he quickly silenced himself at a look from Greg.

"Sweetie, do you remember what happened?" Greg spoke to Sam in a voice usually reserved for skittish animals.

Sam looked around at the others in the room. When her eyes met Riley's, memories came flooding back.

"Riley and I were at the club…there was an altercation," Sam started slowly. Riley nodded.

"Sam, the guy shot you…in the back of the shoulder…" Catherine spoke softly, clearly shaken up.

"We think he was trying to hit the girl but miss-shot…he had a really high BAC…"

"You caught him already?" Sam asked, surprised. "How long have I been out?"

"About twenty-four hours…you went right into surgery…it took a long time to remove the bullet fragments…" Greg tightened his grip on Sam's hand.

"Luckily we caught the bastard pretty quickly…it was an open and shut case," Nick spoke up. "Grissom's just finishing the paperwork."

"You've got a long recovery ahead of you, hun, but your alive, and that's what matters," Catherine told her.

Catherine left the room to go call Grissom and let him know Sam was awake. Nick and Riley stayed for a few more minutes, and then left to give Sam some rest.

"You should sleep some more, you are on pretty heavy painkillers," Greg told Sam.

Sam could feel herself dozing off. "Please stay with me, Greg," she said, pleading with her eyes.

"You were there for me when I needed you, and now I'm going to be there for you…" he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Get some rest, baby, I'll be right here when you wake up."

Before Sam could doze off, she saw the fear and sadness in his eyes.

"Greg, what's wrong?"

Greg shook his head. "For a minute there, I thought I was going to lose you…I couldn't bear it without you…especially without telling you...telling you that I love you…"

Regardless of the pain, Sam smiled widely. "I love you too…" she whispered, before she dozed off, sleeping easy knowing he was there, and still would be when she woke.


	14. Making Plans

Sam rolled over in bed and started to stretch before the shocks of pain through her shoulder woke her up fully.

Her groan of pain woke up Greg, who rolled over quickly.

"You ok, babe?" he asked sleepily.

"Yeah, sorry, just forgot about my shoulder," she replied, glaring at the massive contraption on her arm.

Greg stretched as well and leaned over, kissing Sam's good shoulder. "You want some more pain meds?"

"Oh god no, those fuck with my stomach too much…thanks for the hair hold, by the way," Sam said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"That's what I'm here for…we have to get some work," Greg slowly sat up in bed.

"Oh yay, another day of doing paperwork while everyone else gets to have fun," Sam didn't even try to hide her anger. "I can't wait to get this brace off."

"Sam, your shoulder got blown off…it's only been a month…" Greg wrapped his arms around Sam and pulled her back down onto the bed. "I still can't believe I almost lost you…"

Sam finally let go of her bad attitude and took Greg's face in her hands. "I'm fine, Greg, I promise…and I love you very much…"

Greg kissed her and sighed. "It's been a hell of a year…we lose Warrick, bring in Riley, Grissom retires, we bring in Langston…I just want some consistency."

"Things will calm down, don't worry… let's get to work before Catherine murders us…"

They got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Greg turned the water on for the shower and stripped off his boxers. He heard a frustrated noise from Sam and turned around. She was struggling to take off the brace that still held her shoulder in place. Greg walked around behind her, removing her hand.

"I've got it, babe," he whispered, slowly slipping the brace off her arm, being careful to cause her as little pain as possible. He eased her arm out of the brace and then threw it on the ground. He gently used his fingertips to massage the muscle, letting his fingers brush ever so slightly over the scars.

"Do they look horrible?" Sam asked. Greg sensed the insecurity in her question.

"Not at all…everything about you is perfect…" he whispered, kissing her scars softly and leading her into the shower.

* * *

The day started off badly; Ecklie shanghied both Greg and Sam the minute they stepped through the door and brought them into his office.

"I know this may sound harsh, but I bent the rules for Grissom, I can't do that anymore. Effective next week, there will be new rules in the handbook stating there are to be no relationships between crime scene investigators in this lab, unless the couple is already married. If you two want to stay together, I will give glowing recommendations to whoever chooses to leave to any lab in the country."

Sam glared at Ecklie, ready to open her mouth, but Greg took her hand and pulled her out.

"Yelling won't help," he said to her. "Let's think this through."

"You're right," Sam said, shaking out her anger and trying to focus. "I don't want to leave…but I don't want to let you go either…maybe we could pretend to not be together…?"

"I don't want to have to pretend…come with me."

Sam looked puzzled but followed Greg as he led her into the locker room. He started to open his locker then stopped and turned around to face her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"I love you, Samantha," he said, kissing her.

"I love you too," she said, surprise in her voice. Sam was clearly curious as to what he was thinking.

"Then marry me," he said, staring into her eyes, watching them widen with surprise.

"What?" she said, stepping back a second. "You're nuts, Greg, we can't get married just because Ecklie's a fucktard."

Greg wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and pulled her back towards him.

"Sam, listen to me. This had nothing to do with Ecklie. This has to do with you, and me, and how we feel. I may have garnered a reputation when I was in the lab as having a brain filled with tits and ass, but I've grown up. And right now I know that more than anything in the world, I just want you. So marry me, Samantha Carter."

Sam's jaw was starting to hurt from hanging down in shock. Greg let go of her for a second and turned around, rummaging through his locker. He removed something from the top shelf and held it out to Sam. It was a small black box. She gasped again as he opened it, revealing a white-gold ring with a small diamond.

"You really are, serious, aren't you?" she whispered, staring at the ring. "How long have you had this?"

"Since you were in the hospital. Nick kicked me out of your room while you were sleeping. He told me he'd stay with you and told me to get some air, take a shower, get out of the hospital for a bit. I had realized then that you were the one. So I found a jewelry store and got this ring." Greg smiled sheepishly. "I know it's not Tiffany's, or very big, but…"

Sam interrupted him. "Greg, it's perfect." His grin got wider and wider as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"So now what?" she asked him. "Since you have all the big plans."

Greg kissed Sam on the nose. "This is Vegas, we can be married today, if that's ok with you."

Sam nodded. "It is, under one condition…later on, once everything has died down, let's do it right…family friends, an actual ceremony. Is that ok?"

Greg laughed. "Of course! Having Elvis marry us is just temporary!" Greg headed down the hall as Sam chased him.

"You'd better be kidding, Sanders!"

Greg slowed down and let Sam catch up. They saw Nick and Riley down the hall chatting. Sam winked at Greg as they walked up to their coworkers.

"Hey, Nick, Riley, don't make plans for after shift, we need your help with something. But it stays between us four, ok?"

Nick and Riley looked puzzled.

"What exactly…" Nick started but Sam cut in.

"No questions. Just be available. Oh and dress nice," Sam winked while Greg laughed.


End file.
